Thanksgiving in Mountain Home 2016

Thanksgiving in Mountain Home was such a hit. We left Wednesday morning to drive to Tulsa and pick up Aunt Laura from the airport. Nanny and Papa didn't know Aunt Laura was coming and we wanted to surprise her. So after getting Aunt Laura, we drove over to Mountain Home. The surprise was perfect and Nanny was in tears. It was awesome. 

Thursday morning we had our traditional "turkey bowl" with the grandkids. So funny. 

Tucker only played for a little while, but he was cracking me up, taking everything so seriously. 

Papa got in a few good tackles

Luckily Tanner didn't hold it against him. 

Bailey also had a few good runs with the football. It was so cute to watch the boys chasing her and her dashing for the goal line. 

Later, we changed up the teams and Papa helped Bailey and Tanner plan some good plays. 

He helped them run a few touchdowns in and the kids loved it. 

Oh and here is Bailey doing her "touchdown dance" with Papa. She was cracking us up. 

Later she attempted to kick the football for the kickoff. She was laughing so hard that she could hardly focus. It was so funny. 

After the game, we finished our dinner prep and ate a delicious Thanksgiving meal. So much good food. Then it was PIE TIME!

A quick family picture on Thanksgiving. 

Friday morning had us looking for a way to entertain 7 grandkids, with the terrible weather- our options were limited. So it was butcher paper and crayons to the rescue. 

These cute cousins decorated a very cute table covering. 

Then the girls went out with Aunt Robin for our traditional "Grams lunch" at this riverside cafe she use to love. It was so fun to just chat and laugh together. 

Friday night, Nanny and Papa watched all the grandkids for us so the adults could all go see a movie together. We went to see "Fantastic Beasts" and we all loved it. So much fun!

Saturday morning, Tanner and Daddy attempted fishing. It was still pretty cold but they braved it anyways. Tanner had a great time, even though they got totally skunked. 

Tucker decided playing with cousins and watching movies was too much and he fell asleep around 9 am. He's so funny- he could not make it til nap time. 

The cousins spent many hours playing in the basement together. 

Then on Saturday night we played "pie face showdown". It was hysterical and enjoyed by all. 

Nanny and Papa had the inaugural showdown. 

we also attempted a cousins picture in their cute new Christmas pjs from Nanny and Papa. It ended with Danny in tears and all the cousins trying to hug him and make him feel better. Lol. It did not help the situation. 

Here's one of my kids with Nanny and Papa. We sure do love these two people. They are kind of awesome! We are so lucky to have them in our lives. 

Then on yesterday, Sunday, we celebrated Papa's birthday before going home. We didn't want to miss the chance to celebrate the awesome Papa. It was a lot of fun and we had a great weekend in Mountain Home with everyone together. We did miss Uncle David though. We are hoping we will get to see him over Christmas though! 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Now onto to Christmas preparations!!!

Resuming life in Arkansas-- the Kids Start School at Sugar Creek

So we arrived home from Virginia on Saturday around 6 pm. It was a long drive but the kids were champs. We unloaded the van and then basically went to bed. Then we stayed home from church on Sunday to recover and settle in. On Monday I took the kids to register at their new school. We are still zoned for Elm Tree Elementary, but because the school is full, we were overflowed twice to another elementary school. So on Tuesday, November 8th, Tanner and Bailey had their first day of school at Sugar Creek Elementary. They were excited about their new teachers and their new school. 

Love these kids!

Tucker has settled back into his life quite nicely, He's so happy to have all his toys and trains back. 

Then on the Friday following the kids' first day of school, Tanner's class was in charge of the morning assembly. They call the Friday morning assembly "Rise and Shine" and because it was Veteran's day, it was patriotic themed. The kids were told to dress in red, white and blue or to dress as their favorite patriot. Tanner insisted on wearing his "George Washington" costume.

I was cracking up, but he loved the way he looked.

Sweet little first grade class ready for their assembly. Tanner was the only one wearing a costume. Everyone else just wore red, white and blue. lol. But he didn't care. 

Tanner loved that his dad was able to come. He even included a picture of him and his dad for the veterans day slide show. He's so proud of his army dad. 

Bailey was happy to get to see us at her school too. 

Both kids had a wonderful first week and love their teachers. 

The kids also had a field trip a couple weeks into school.  Both first grade and kindergarten got to go. I was able to accompany Tanner's class as a chaperone. We went to the "Walton's Art Center" and saw "Elephant and Piggy"- it was completely silly, but the kids loved it. 

Then on the Friday after their field trip, Bailey's class got to be in charge of the Rise & Shine assembly. She was pretty excited to have her own part and get to speak into the microphone. 

You can see her speaking her part in this photo. So cute.

After the assembly was over, they had a little dance party on the stage. Bailey was cracking me up as she did the macarena. So funny.

I'd say both kids have adjusted pretty well and they are loving their new school and making friends. 

I'm relieved to be getting back into the swing of real life. It's so fun to have friends again and have a life. I've missed my social life. We are all happy to be home!